
Springfield in 2016
With winter vacation, unseasonably warm weather and 2015 in their rear-view mirrors, community leaders and elected officials from the Fairfax County School Board, Board of Supervisors, General Assembly turn their attention to some of the most significant issues, developments or decisions in 2016.

School Board Sued over Nondiscrimination Policy Changes
Liberty Counsel challenges board’s authority to add sexual orientation and gender identity.
When the members of the Fairfax County School Board added sexual orientation and gender identity to the school system’s nondiscrimination policy in November 2014 and May 2015, did they have the authority?

Burke, Fairfax Station and Springfield: Lake Braddock Student Dies in Crash
Friends, family and members of the Lake Braddock Secondary School Community gathered Sunday night Dec. 21 to mourn the loss of Laween A. Akrawi, 18, a Lake Braddock Bruin who died at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on Dec. 18. They laid candles and flowers by an easel holding his senior picture.

Fairfax County School Board Opens the Door for School Name Changes
No decisions made to affect current school names.
The Fairfax County School Board did not change any names of schools at its Dec. 17 regular business meeting.

Fairfax County: McAuliffe Proposing More for Education
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D, left) unveiled his budget proposal for $1 billion in public and higher education investment at Mark Twain Middle School in Alexandria on Dec. 16, as part of the total state budget he plans to roll out on Thursday, Dec. 17.

Lorton, Fairfax Station & Springfield: Swim Teams Bring in Toys for Tots
Before their head-to-head meet on Dec. 12, members of the South County and West Springfield High School swim and dive teams dropped off dozens of new toys for the South Run RECenter’s Toys for Tots donation drive.

West Springfield Spartan Theatre to Perform Live Radio Broadcast of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’
Using just microphones and their voices -- and a few audio tricks -- members of West Springfield High School Spartan Theatre are bringing the 1946 classic movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” to life as a live radio broadcast on Friday, Dec. 18.

Citizen Speakers Turn Out for J.E.B. Stuart High Name Change
School Board to take action Dec. 17
J.E.B. Stuart High School senior Whitten Rutledge is proud of his school, mostly.
Cappies Review: A Comedic Masterpiece
West Springfield High School’s production of ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona.’
A doo-wop serenade, an adorable bromance, and a biker gang are almost as far as you can get from traditional Shakespeare.
Cappies Review: A Character Audience Loves to Hate
Hayfield Secondary’s production of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’
The magic of love that stems from generosity, kindness, and friendship engulfs the story of “Beauty and the Beast” and Hayfield Secondary School's transformative production of the popular Disney musical.

Cappies Review: Beauty in Friendship and Love
Robert E. Lee High School’s production of ‘Steel Magnolias.’
"There is no such thing as natural beauty," said the sign on the back wall of Truvy's Beauty Salon.
Cappies Review: Creationism vs. Evolution on High School Stage
Thomas A. Edison High's production of “Inherit the Wind.”
Every day we ask ourselves the basic question of right versus wrong, whether it be through our thoughts or our actions.
Fizzy Rockets and Lost on the Moon at Irving Middle
The subject of aerospace isn’t usually associated with 11 to 14 year-olds laughing and chasing rubber band powered foam “rockets.”

Fairfax County Updates Teacher Safety Training In Wake of Woodson Fire
Science teachers across Fairfax County Public Schools have begun mandatory updated safety training in the wake of an Oct. 30 fire at Woodson High School that injured five students and a teacher, and caused $7,500 in damage.
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